Hideo Kojima: Metal Gear Solid creator reforms Kojima Productions, will release PS4 console exclusive

The announcement brings to an end months of rumour and speculation, after Mr Kojima left his old employer Konami in apparently difficult circumstances

Hideo Kojima is to form a new studio and create an exclusive game for Sony’s PlayStation 4, bringing to an end months of mystery about what he was up to.

The creator of Metal Gear Solid left his old employer, Konami, in mysterious circumstances. Since then, rumours have flown about why exactly he left and what he was going to be doing.

But now Mr Kojima and Sony have said that he will create a game exclusively for PlayStation 4. No details of the game or any indication of release date have been announced but Mr Kojima’s new studio will “push the boundaries in innovation and ignite consumer interest worldwide,” according to a statement.

"I will be taking on a new challenge by establishing my own independent studio, and I am thrilled to be able to embark on this journey with PlayStation, who I have continued to work with all these past years,” Mr Kojima said in a Sony statement. "I cannot wait to deliver, with PlayStation, a game that will become a compelling franchise."

Mr Kojima said in a tweet that he had his contract with Konami terminated on 15 December.

“Today marks a new start for me,” he wrote. “I’m committed to be involved in creative activities for as long as I live. Look forward to what’s coming.”

Konami and Mr Kojima’s relationship is thought to have become difficult following complications during the making of Metal Gear Solid. The creator was removed from Konami’s website for the game in March, and later this year cancelled a game called Silent Hills that Mr Kojima was working on with Guillermo del Torro.